SPRINGFIELD — A Monett woman has filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer, alleging a series of workplace violations that include disability discrimination, retaliation and interference with federally protected leave.
Crystal Rene Austin filed the lawsuit against Architectural Systems Inc., a Missouri-based manufacturing company operating out of Aurora.
Austin, who worked for the defendant as a saw operator starting in 2019, claims that she was retaliated against after exercising her rights under the Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law and the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), according to a complaint filed June 3 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri in the Southern Division.
Austin also alleges violations of the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act as Amended (ADAAA).
According to the complaint, Austin's job required prolonged standing on a concrete shop floor, which eventually led to significant foot pain.
In summer 2020, she requested padded flooring to help alleviate her symptoms, but received no response from the company's Human Resources department.
She resorted to purchasing her own floor mats, which she used for approximately four months until the company provided industrial mats.
In October 2022, Austin was diagnosed with Plantar Fasciitis and bone spurs, which her physician attributed to prolonged standing at work.
Despite informing her supervisors and Human Resources about the diagnosis and the doctor’s belief that the injury was work-related, the company did not offer her medical treatment or initiate a workers' compensation claim.
Missouri law gives employers control over the selection of medical treatment for work-related injuries, but Austin states that she had to pursue care through her personal physician due to the company’s inaction.
Later in 2022, Austin requested and was granted intermittent FMLA leave, which she continued to use into 2023. In August 2023, her physician advised that surgery might be necessary and recommended that she remain off her feet for a month, using a walking boot if needed, according to the suit.
Austin relayed this recommendation to HR and requested accommodations such as using a stool or chair while working. According to the lawsuit, the company never responded to this accommodation request, and instead offered only additional FMLA paperwork.
Austin began her one-month leave on Aug. 31, 2023, expecting to return after an MRI and surgical recommendation. She alleges that she maintained contact with HR throughout this period, providing medical updates and complying with documentation requests.
Austin claims that at no time was she warned that she was nearing the exhaustion of her 480 hours of FMLA leave.
In late November 2023, she received a letter from the company stating that her FMLA leave had been exhausted as of October 31 and that she was considered to have abandoned her job.
Austin argues that she was never previously informed of her leave nearing exhaustion and that the company’s own timekeeping system did not reflect such depletion during her last communications with HR.
Austin filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights on Jan. 6, 2024. She received a Notice of Right-to-Sue on March 6, and filed this suit within the required 90-day window.
The lawsuit claims the company retaliated against Austin for exercising rights under the FMLA, failed to accommodate her disability, discriminated against her based on her medical condition and interfered with her protected medical leave.
Her suit also asserts that the company wrongfully discharged her under false pretenses.
Austin seeks damages for lost wages, employment benefits, interest, liquidated damages, attorneys’ fees and other relief as allowed by law. She has demanded a jury trial on all counts. She is represented by Robert A. Bruce and John F. Doyle of Doyle & Bruce in Kansas City.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Southern Division case number: 3:25-cv-05044
